Health protective behaviors in first year medical students

Individual health behaviors are an important aspect of preventive care. A survey of 164 entering medical students examined their health protective behaviors, including the three things they most frequently did to protect their health and thirty specific health behaviors studied in a previous analysis of the general population. The first semester results show similarities between the students and the general population. Diet and sleep were among the most important health protective behaviors in students and the population, but exercise and relaxation/stress control were more prevalent in students than in the public. Medical students were much more likely to be nonsmokers and wear seat belts than the public, but less likely to get regular checkups or see doctors when they felt healthy. Students also reported fewer personal safety and accident prevention behaviors. A resurvey at the beginning of the second semester showed a very high consistency with original behaviors. Among the students there were few health behavior differences by sex and martial status. These findings suggest students in medical school practice common but not extensive health protective behaviors which do not decline severely upon entry to medical school.